Saturday, June 27, 2015

On a recent trip I had the pleasure of visiting the picturesque and serene Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum located on the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The area was developed in the mid 1890's when Pennsylvania coal magnate, Augustus Van Wickle and his wife Bessie purchased the land and built the first Blithewold mansion. After Augustus's death in 1989, Bessie re-married William McKee in 1901 and after a disastrous fire in 1906, the original home was replaced with the mansion that exists today. Bessie and her older daughter Marjorie Van Wickle proved to be talented horticulturists and Marjorie carried on her mothers legacy by developing the remaining 33 acres of Blithewold into the gardens that exist today. The mansion and grounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are enjoyed by visitors.

BLITHEWOLD MANSION

BLITHEWOLD MANSION

BLITHEWOLD MANSION

NORTH GARDEN

NORTH GARDEN

NORTH GARDEN

NORTH GARDEN

ENCLOSED GARDEN

VISITORS CENTER AND GARDEN

MOON GATE AND GARDENS

GARDENS

LILLIUM

ALLIUM SEED HEAD

NORTH GARDEN FOUNTAIN

BLITHEWOLD ART EXHIBITION

As part of an ongoing art exhibition " Sculpture Embraces Horticulture", several artists were featured in the gardens at the time of our trip using the elements of sun, rain and wind to power their creations. The above sculpture is a sunflower spiral solar powered creation from artist George Sherwood. Sherwood’ssculptures are based on movement that is a combination of both subtle and obvious. At times it appears his sculptures do not move at all, and at other times the colorful stainless steel reflective discus twinkle with each breeze, integrating art with nature.

BLITHEWOLD ART EXHIBITION

Charissa Brock creates art with bamboo and was intrigued by the gardens and bamboo grove at Blithewold which is quite large for New England with its cold winters. Brock integrates the motion of the wind with bamboo and has created large “feathers” out of bamboo canes. Each feather has a skirt of short bamboo pieces and when the wind blows the feathers play with the wind creating music.

BAMBOO GROVE

WATER FEATURE IN DISPLAY GARDENS

SHRUB WALK

SARGENT'S WEEPING HEMLOCK

These gardens were certainly an enjoyable visit. I was happy to read that in order to preserve the integrity of Blithewold a small group of concerned citizens banded together and raised funding to keep it open to the public. They became known as Blithewold, Inc. and in 2010 along with Preserve Rhode Island, an amended lease for a period of 99 years was created with an extension option, so that Blithewold would be protected for the future. Today it is considered to be one of the finest gardens in New England and received a certificate of excellence in 2014.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Welcome to my Long Island garden. Something can be said for two record cold winters in a row and the way perennials perform. It could be my imagination but the blooms seem to be an intense explosion of color like I have never experienced before. The late arriving, cooler than normal spring brought a slow start to the garden, followed by a sudden rise in temperatures into the 80's over the past few days, leading to an array of abundant color. Come take a walk with me to see what is blooming during the wonderful month of June!

Allium Globemaster

I have always admired Allium in botanical gardens so I planted these Allium Globemaster bulbs last fall and waited with great anticipation all winter long to see their magnificent eight inch in diameter blooms on top of 30" high stems this spring. I can say It was definitely worth the wait and their blooms have exceeded my every expectation!

Allium Globemaster: A Close up View

Perennial Border

In the perennial border I added these Allium 'Mont Blanc' for some taller interest in the backdrop and they are fun as well. In the foreground are Astilbe, Daylily, Salvia and Lamb's Ear.

Allium Mont BlancAllium 'Mont Blanc' is earlier to show its foliage and gets a little taller than Globemaster, topping off at about four feet in height with its pure white blooms that are approximately 4-5 inches in diameter.

Perennial Border with Salvia and Itoh Peony 'Bartzellla'

A little further down in the border you can see the Bartzella Peony I added last spring.

Itoh Peony 'Bartzella' Second Season

I am really enjoying this new hybrid Peony which has a longer bloom span than other varieties. Itoh 'Bartzella' is a cross between a herbaceous peony and tree peony and the blooms are just breathtaking!

Peony 'Karl Rosenfeld' and 'May Night' Salvia

Here are my Peony 'Karl Rosenfeld' which are going on twenty years now in the garden, along with Salvia 'May Night' in the foreground.

"Dafney"

This is "Dafney". She and her mate for life "Donald" visit our pool every summer when it first opens and think it is their own private wading area. We love having them and they have good manners as far as leaving anything behind! Instead of the well known Donald and Daisy, she was immediately given the name "Dafney" at first glance!

Backyard Island Bed

Now follow me around to the left side of the backyard to see what surprises lurk around the corner!

Around to the Left Border

This garden is one of the more recent additions developed a few years back when I planted these Nepeta 'Walkers Low' along with Spirea 'Goldmound', 'Summer Snowflake' Viburnum and several varieties of Heuchera in addition to the existing rhododendron, azalea and hosta. My husband and I call this one of the secret gardens on the property that cannot be fully seen until you actually walk back there as we are now.

Rhododendron and Azalea

Aliium Globemaster and Spirea 'Limemound'

Back around in the pool garden the Spirea 'Limemound' is now in full bloom along with the 'Globemaster' Allium and the 'Stella D Oro' Daylilies should be joining in any day now. After that the Stargazer Lillium will come into bloom in July.

Red Double Knock Out Roses and Nepeta

Here are Double Knock Out roses along with Nepeta 'Walkers Low', which will both bloom all summer long.

Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake'

Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake' has such lovely dainty blooms which last several weeks throughout spring and summer. These are located in the back "secret" garden.

Hydrangea Buds

Well, it looks like we will be having hydrangea blooms again this year after losing them all last year from the harsh winter before. I missed their bountiful blooms last summer so this is a very welcomed sight!

Full View of Left Backyard

Here is a long view of the back left gardens where we just came from...and now to the front.

Front Walkway Gardens

Welcome to the front gardens! Here you can see what foliage and blooms are along the walkway...

Front Driveway Gardens

and to end the tour we are now at the gardens that border the driveway.

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Welcome!

Welcome to A Guide to Northeastern Gardening. I am a landscape/garden designer, consultant and published book author of "A Guide to Northeastern Gardening-Journeys of a Garden Designer" and "Landscape Design Combinations". Involved in the horticultural field since 1996, I started this blog so that I could share my love of gardening with others. Join me for over 200 articles on general gardening, landscape design principles, gardening tips, planting, pruning, garden maintenance, feature plants and more. I look forward to and welcome your comments and will try my best to answer any questions that you may have. Thank you for visiting and do come back often! Happy Gardening! ~ Lee (A Guide to Northeastern Gardening)

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About Me

My husband and I live on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. I am a retired educator of 32 years, have been designing landscapes since 1996, and am the owner of my own landscape design business. My love of spending time in the garden has been and will always be a part of me. I started off by designing the gardens of friends and neighbors. With the encouragement of friends I decided to further my education in horticulture and design and became a landscape designer. I started up my business which grew by word of mouth and became what it is today. With shovel in hand since the age of five my love for creating now continues. When not designing I can be found in my own gardens planning the next addition...a never ending process. "A garden is an extension of its owner...a thing of beauty that constantly changes and can be enjoyed forever..."

Plant Hardiness Zone Maps

Hardiness Zones 3-9

The plants discussed in this blog are mainly hardy to zones 3-9. See individual plant details and the zone maps below for more information. An interactive USDA Map is located in the top navigation bar.